And yet the animals never gave up hope.

不过，动物们仍然没有放弃希望。

More, they never lost, even for an instant, their sense of honor and privilege in being members of Animal Farm.

确切地说，他们身为动物庄园的一员，从来没有失去自己的荣誉感和优越感，哪怕是一瞬间也没有过。

They were still the only farm in the whole county--in all England!--owned and operated by animals.

他们的庄园依然是整个国家——所有英伦三岛中——唯一的归动物所有、并由动物管理的庄园。

Not one of them, not even the youngest, not even the newcomers who had been brought from farms ten or twenty miles away, ever ceased to marvel at that.

他们中间的成员，就连最年轻的，甚至还有那些来自十英里或二十英里以外庄园的新成员，每每想到这一点，都无不感到惊喜交加。

And when they heard the gun booming and saw the green flag fluttering at the masthead, their hearts swelled with imperishable pride,

当他们听到鸣枪，看到旗杆上的绿旗飘扬，他们内心就充满了不朽的自豪，

and the talk turned always towards the old heroic days, the expulsion of Jones, the writing of the Seven Commandments, the great battles in which the human invaders had been defeated.

话题一转，也就时常提起那史诗般的过去，以及驱除琼斯、刻写“七诫”、击退人类来犯者的伟大战斗等等。

None of the old dreams had been abandoned.

那些旧日的梦想一个也没有丢弃。

The Republic of the Animals which Major had foretold, when the green fields of England should be untrampled by human feet, was still believed in.

想当年麦哲预言过的“动物共和国”，和那个英格兰的绿色田野上不再有人类足迹践踏的时代，至今依然是他们信仰所在。

Some day it was coming: it might not be soon, it might not be with in the lifetime of any animal now living, but still it was coming.

总有一天，那个时代会到来，也许它不会马上到来，也许它不会在任何现在健在的动物的有生之年到来，但它终究要到来。

Even the tune of 'Beasts of England' was perhaps hummed secretly here and there.

而且至今，说不定就连“英格兰兽”的曲子还在被到处偷偷得哼唱着。

At any rate, it was a fact that every animal on the farm knew it, though no one would have dared to sing it aloud.

反正事实上，庄园里的每个动物都知道它，尽管谁也不敢放声大唱。

It might be that their lives were hard and that not all of their hopes had been fulfilled;

也许，他们生活艰难；也许，他们的希望并没有全部实现，

but they were conscious that they were not as other animals.

但他们很清楚，他们和别的动物不一样。

If they went hungry, it was not from feeding tyrannical human beings;

如果他们还没有吃饱，那么也不是因为把食物拿去喂了暴虐的人类；

if they worked hard, at least they worked for themselves.

如果他们干活苦了，那么至少他们是在为自己辛劳。

No creature among them went upon two legs.

在他们中间，谁也不用两条腿走路。

No creature called any other creature "Master."

谁也不把谁称做“老爷”。

All animals were equal.

所有动物一律平等。

One day in early summer Squealer ordered the sheep to follow him,

初夏的一天，斯奎拉让羊跟着他出去，

and led them out to a piece of waste ground at the other end of the farm, which had become overgrown with birch saplings.

他把他们领到庄园的另一头，那地方是一块长满桦树苗的荒地。

The sheep spent the whole day there browsing at the leaves under Squealer's supervision.

在斯奎拉的监督下，羊在那里吃了整整一天树叶子。

In the evening he returned to the farmhouse himself, but, as it was warm weather, told the sheep to stay where they were.

到了晚上，斯奎拉告诉羊说，既然天气暖和了，他们就呆在那儿算了。然后，他自己返回了庄主院。

It ended by their remaining there for a whole week, during which time the other animals saw nothing of them.

羊在那里呆了整整一个星期。在这期间，别的动物连他们的一丝影子也没见着。

Squealer was with them for the greater part of every day.

斯奎拉每天倒是耗费大量时间和他们泡在一起。

He was, he said, teaching them to sing a new song, for which privacy was needed.

他解释说，他正在给他们教唱一首新歌，因此十分需要清静。

It was just after the sheep had returned,

那是一个爽朗的傍晚，羊回来了。

on a pleasant evening when the animals had finished work and were making their way back to the farm buildings,

当时，动物们才刚刚收工，正走在回窝棚的路上。

that the terrified neighing of a horse sounded from the yard.

突然，从大院里传来了一声马的悲鸣。

Startled, the animals stopped in their tracks.

动物们吓了一跳，全都立即停下脚步。

It was Clover's voice.

是克拉弗的声音。

She neighed again, and all the animals broke into a gallop and rushed into the yard.

她又嘶叫起来。于是，所有的动物全都奔跑着冲进了大院。

Then they saw what Clover had seen.

这一下，他们看到了克拉弗看到的情景。

It was a pig walking on his hind legs.

是一头猪在用后腿走路。

Yes, it was Squealer.

是的，是斯奎拉。

A little awkwardly, as though not quite used to supporting his considerable bulk in that position,

他还有点笨拙好象还不大习惯用这种姿势支撑他那巨大的身体，

but with perfect balance, he was strolling across the yard.

但他却能以熟练的平衡，在院子里散步了。